Mounting-shell for incandescent electric lamps.



E. W. HENGER. MOUNTING SHELL FOR INCANDESCENT ELECTRICLLAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 29, [9|]. 1,%39,182, Patented Sept. 4, 1917.

EDWIN w. HENGER, or WATERTOWN, CONNECTICUT; assrenoa TQWATERBURY MFG. 00., or warnneunv, connnc'rrou'r, a CORPORATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

MOUNTING-SHELL FOR. INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS.

Patented hept. a, 191?.

Application filed March 29, 1917. Serial No. 158,221.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, EDWIN W. HENGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Watertown, in the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mounting- Shells for Incandescent Electric Lamps; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, in

,Figure 1 a view in side elevation ofone form which a ceiling-shell embodying my invention may assume, a standard electric lamp-socket being shown as applied to it.

, Fig. 2 a detached plan view of the shell.

Fig. 3 a View thereof in vertical section on an enlarged scale, the lamp-socket being shown in elevation and partly broken away.

Fig. 4 a view thereof partly in elevation and partly in vertical section on the scale of Figs. 1 and 2.

.Fig. 5 a view partly in elevation and.

partly in section, of a modified form of ceiling-shell embodying my invention.

My invention relates to an improved mountingshell for incandescent electric lamps, whether installed for ceiling or sidewall lighting. Heretofore ceilingmountingshells have been constructed so as to have the lassware, whatever its character, suspended irectly from them. This practice has involved the grave objection that it has precluded changing the glassware as to size, except by changing the shell itself to a size corresponding to the size of the shade or globe to be suspended from it. Heretofore, also, ceiling shells have necessitated the use of special lamp-sockets in place of ordinary lamp-sockets of standard type and size.

The object of my present invention is to adapt a mounting-shell to receive and firmly support astandard lamp-socket from which the glasswareis directly suspended instead of from the shell itself, whereby the lampsocket is organized with, and becomes a unitary part of the shell and whereby glassware of varying size and form may be suspended directly from the lamp-socket by the interchange thereupon of standard glassware-holders uniform int-heir adaptation to be applied to standard lamp-sockets, but

, shell.

' adapted to globes or shades of different sizes.

A further object of my invention is to produce a simple, convenient and attractive mounting-shell providing a stable support for a standard incandescent lamp-socket.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a mounting-shell having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown, I have applied it to a ceiling-shell 2, though I would have it understood that it may also be embodied in a mounting-shell designed for side-wall lighting. The said shell 2 is formed at its lower end with a threaded concentric neck or housing 3 being brought to a firm bearing upon the inwardly turned bearing-edge 8 of the housing 3, which also receives the nut-like coupling bushing Qsurmounting the cap in the usual manner. The said lamp-socket 5 is organized with, and in efi'ect made a unitary part of the shell 2 by screwing its couplingbushing 9 upon the threaded portion of a nipple 10 suitably positioned for this purpose within the shell and centrally mounted, as herein shown, in the top 11 of an inverted cup-like locking-member 12 having its ed 'e formed with threads taking into the threa s of the neck or housing 3 into which the said member is introduced from the inside of the For mounting the nipple in the top 11 of the said member 12, the nipple is formed near its upper end with an annular bearing-flange 13 located adjacent to the inner face of the said top 11 and complemented by a washer 14 located upon the upper face thereof and held in place by expanding as at 15, the upper end of the nipple which is formed with a central longitudlnal passage 16 for the passage throu h it of an electric wire 17 leading into t' e lamp-socket 5 through the coupling-bushing 9 thereof. A notch 18 in the expanded upper end of the nipple, provides for the reception of a screw-driver or corresponding tool for holding the nipple against rotation, while the bushing 9 of the lamp-socket 5 is being screwed upon its threaded end. As shown the top 11 of the locking-member 12 has struck up from its upper face, two oppositely located semi-circular finger-pieces 19 by means of which the member 12 is turned in one direction or the other, as may be required to produce the friction or tension necessary (the sheet-metal parts being more or less yielding) to prevent the lampsocket 5 from turning with respect to the shell 2 by the loosening of the threaded connection between the bushing 9 and nipple 10. The locking-member 12 may also be used to position the key 20 of the lamp-socket 5 as may be required for its most convenient use, since, if the shoulder 7 of the cap 4 has not been brought to a solid bearing upon the edge 8 of'the housing 3 when the key 20 has been brought into the desired position, the locking-member. 12 may be turned as required to bodily lift the nipple 10 and lampsocket 5 so as to force the shoulder 7 firmly against the edge 8.

As shown, the flange 21 at the upper edge of the shell 2 is formed with perforations 22 for the reception of screws 23 by means of which the shell is fastened to the ceiling 24 which is formed with an opening 25 for the passage through it of the electric wire 17.

The lower end of the lamp-socket 5, is formed, as shown, with a circumferential bead 26 or other common means for the interchangeable application to it of a standard shade-holder, it being understood that standard shade-holders are unifprm with respect to their adaptation to be applied to a standard lamp-socket, but that they may vary in their reach, by which term is meant, in their adaptation to receive glassware varying in size.

It will be understood from the foregoing, that under my invention, the domical cap and coupling-bushing of a standard lampsocket are inserted directly into a mountingshell so as to bring the shoulder of the cap to a firm bearing thereupon and so as to permit the coupling-bushing of the socket to be screwed upon a nipple located within the shell with which the lamp-socket is thus directly organized so that the socket andshell may be said to form a unitary structure. Under my invention, the shell is not relied upon for the suspension of the glassware which is supporteddirectly from the lamp socket in standardshade or globe supports which may be interchanged upon the socket in accordance with the size of the glassware which it is desired to use. Under my invention, therefore, I am enabled to employ for ceiling lights, any standard lamp-socket and to change the glassware at pleasure without changing the shell, as has heretofore been necessary, due to the practice of suspending the glassware from the shell rather than from the lamp-socket.

In the modified construction shown by Fig. 5 of the drawings, the nipple 10 is formed at its upper end with an internally threaded coupling-head 30 for application to the threaded or nipple end of a conduitpipe 27 projecting downward through the ceiling. In this construction, the ceiling shell 28 has its flanged upper edge 29 brought to a bearing upon the ceiling against which it is indirectly held by the pipe 27, coupling-head 30, nipple 10 and locking-member 12.

It will be understood that my invention may be applied to side-wall lamp-fixtures, as well as to ceiling fixtures, the principle of entering the domical cap of a standard lamp-socket into a mounting-shell so as to take a firm bearing thereupon, and of screwing the coupling-bushing of the socket upon a nipple located within the shell, remaining the same. Preferably the nipple located within the shell, is mounted, as shown, in a locking-member, but this construction. is not essential, since the nipple might be otherwise mounted or simply located upon the end of a conduit-pipe extending into the shell in position to be engaged by the coupling-bushing of the lamp-socket.

I claim 1. In a mounting fixture for incandescent electric lamps, the combination with a shell formed with a neck or housing adapted to receive and house the cap of a standard lamp-socket and to provide a bearing for the said socket; of a coupling-nipple located within the said shell in position to have the threaded bushing of the cap of the lampsocket screwed upon it, whereby the lampsocket is brought to a bearing upon the shell and thesocket and shell united in one 3. In a mounting fixture for standard incandescent lamp-sockets, the combination with a shell formed with a concentric threaded neck adapted to receive and house the cap of an electric lamp-socket and to provide a concentric bearin therefor, of a threaded locking-member floated within the said neck, a nipple mounted in the center I of the said locking-member and adapted to have the threaded bushing of the socket-cap screwed upon it, and means for rotating the said bushing to bind the socket-cap against rotation in the neck of the shell.

4:. In a mounting fixture for standard incandescent lamp-sockets, the combination eeeiee locking-member for turning the same to bind the lamp-socket against rotation in the said neck.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subserib- 15 ing witnesses.

EDWIN W. HENGER. Witnesses:

MALCOLM P. Nronoris, Fennnmc C. EA. 

